The right-wing’s unjustified obsession with the capital gains tax

Since Romney admitted earlier this week that his tax rate is around 15% because his income is primarily from capital gains, the capital gains tax debate has fired up again. The traditional argument for a low capital gains tax is that it is necessary to encourage investment, but this argument is not well-supported. When people… Continue reading The right-wing’s unjustified obsession with the capital gains tax

Imagine a class-centered campaign against Mitt Romney

With inequality growing, middle-class wages stagnant, lower-class wages falling, record high corporate profits, and substantial high-end income growth, a presidential campaign centered on class is not out of the question. Mitt Romney — who almost perfectly embodies the greedy, privileged, Wall Street Banker stereotype — would be an incredible candidate for just such a campaign.… Continue reading Imagine a class-centered campaign against Mitt Romney

Another content slowdown

Because the next academic semester is beginning, I will not be able to post as frequently. During this break, I posted quite a bit of content and tacked on a significant number of new followers and rss subscribers thanks largely to George Monbiot’s piece in the Guardian. To those newcomers, I just wanted to give… Continue reading Another content slowdown

The endless struggle for ownership of “economic freedom”

The Heritage Foundation recently put out its 2012 Index of Economic Freedom. Like a lot of what Heritage puts out, its annual Index of Economic Freedom is exceedingly strange. Countries are assigned — without any coherent method — scores from 0 to 100 in categories like Labor Freedom, Business Freedom, Government Spending, and Property Rights.… Continue reading The endless struggle for ownership of “economic freedom”